Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Saturday, August 17. 2019

Cold Teas: Sweet Tea and Sun Tea




In the southern USA, "tea" means Sweet Tea. People usually make a couple of quarts at a time. Delicious.


I have been a fan of Sun Tea since I first had it in Montana. It's usually made a gallon jar at a time. Keep the top on or ants will come, and keep in direct sunlight for 5-6 hours.

Posted by Bird Dog in Food and Drink at 12:52 | Comments (17) | Trackbacks (0)

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Sweet tea is the only kind of tea I've ever heard of. Do people drink bitter tea?
#1 bgarrett on 2017-07-04 14:01 (Reply)
Oh absolutely.

Being from (and in) the SW, I make 'sun tea' and all it needs is a bit of lemon added in if you need to cut the bitterness.

But cold, black, unsweetened tea is what I drink mostly (when I'm not guzzling soda).
#1.1 Agammamon on 2017-07-04 15:40 (Reply)
I was born and raised in the South and I loathe sweet tea. If I accidently take a sip I'll spit it out. Sugar ruins tea.
#1.2 SteveP on 2017-07-04 18:00 (Reply)
I love sweet tea, but the sweeter it is, the faster I drink it, thus ruining my meal.

Half sweet / half unsweet is good.
Even unsweet is good if it's decent tea, or in an Arnold Palmer.
#2 LS (Link) on 2017-07-04 15:02 (Reply)
Some people, mainly yankees and people from Minnesota, think Oklahoma is part of the South. One way you know it's not the South is that you need to specify sweet or unsweetened tea at restaurants.

I like strong, unsweetened tea. It tastes better when it's brewed by the sun, but six hours in July might be long enough to turn it sour.

Ice tea is the ultimate insult to British sensibilities. It's like insulting the queen. Up The Rebels!
#3 Jack Walter on 2017-07-04 16:24 (Reply)
Holy moly that sweet tea recipe is sick. That is WAY too much sugar, ugh.
#4 Rollie on 2017-07-04 17:16 (Reply)
Aye. Fave iced tea recipe: 1x Herbal mint tea bag. 2x Bigelow Constant Comment tea bags. 3x Large Lipton iced-tea bags all in a 1/2 gallon glass jug. 1-2 Tbsp honey if a hint of sweetness is desired. Makes really good iced tea or Arnold Palmers (use raspberry lemonade). Wonder what the baking soda is for, in the recipe at the link.
#4.1 Aggie on 2019-08-17 13:58 (Reply)
One evening I realized I'd forgotten to brew up a batch of sun tea and didn't want to wait for hot tea to be chilled enough for the fridge. So I stuck a couple of teabags into a carafe of cold water, and let it steep for an hour or so. Voila! MOON TEA. Which I do not ruin with sugar. Lemon, maybe. Sugar, no.
#5 Mike Anderson (Link) on 2017-07-04 18:57 (Reply)
We also make moon tea. Set the jar out late in the evening on a concrete slab that has been heated all day by the sun. The heat from the slab apparently causes convection in the water in the jar. Bring it in the morning and it is ready to drink. At whatever temperature you prefer.
#5.1 altered states on 2017-07-04 20:46 (Reply)
Some like sweet tea, some don't. Some people like sugared corn bread, some don't.
#6 Gringo on 2017-07-04 23:39 (Reply)
I never really developed the taste for tea hot or cold, sweet or unsweet. My favorite drink today is ice water. I find it is better with a meal aiding digestion and better between meals for quenching thirst. I used to enjoy sodas but since developing a hiatal hernia soda gives me hiccups and acid reflux.
#7 GoneWithTheWind on 2017-07-05 10:26 (Reply)
Ah, yes... sun tea. I remember back in the 960's when my hippyoid sister-in-law was touting sun tea and how the solar rays made it happen.

I suggested that she make two batches at the same time, one in direct sun, another in a closet in the middle of the house, and then let me set up a blind taste test.

I used to get called a lot of names in that family...
#8 mostly cajun (Link) on 2017-07-05 20:28 (Reply)
Just to note...

Everyone I know down here makes Sweet Tea by the Gallon. Around here, we've gone to artificial sweetener, because nobody involved needs the sugar. (The wife is Diabetic, apart from anything else.)

But we still make it by the Gallon.

I can't do totally unsweetened, but a fourth cup of sugar per gallon, as opposed to the normal full cup, is bearable if you don't have something else to flavor it with.
#9 jefferson101 on 2019-08-17 17:46 (Reply)
Bring a quart of water to boil, turn off. Drop in 4 bags of black tea and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. Let steep for 20 min. Pour in a gallon pitcher on top of a 1/4 cup of honey and stir. Fill with water. Pour over ice. Best "sweet tea" in the world.
#10 Randy on 2019-08-17 21:21 (Reply)
I've read that there are various risks in making sun tea and that, as mostly cajun indirectly suggests, you can get the same or better results through the cold brew method. I've made it that way myself with tea bags in a jar in the refrigerator and it works great.

https://www.goodlifetea.com/blogs/news/sun-tea-dont-do-it
#11 Kurt on 2019-08-18 01:37 (Reply)
I've been making sun tea for like 30 years. I learned about it from my stint in Arizona. And I sill make it in NYC.

I use Celestial Seasonings, The berry flavored ones are the best.. Sit it out in the sun for the day and it's great.. No caffeine and no calories.

But then I pound beers so that screws up the calorie equation. :)
#12 jack on 2019-08-18 09:11 (Reply)
Sun tea?!? Leftover from the dawn of hippiedom.

"It's, like NATURAL, and it gets goodness from the sun!!!"

And you can take the same jug, the same tea, stick it a dark closet, and get the same result (assuming same time and temperature) and it's 'cold-brewed tea' but it's not magical.

Probably makes Mother Gaia cry or something.
#13 mostly cajun (Link) on 2019-08-19 12:25 (Reply)

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